Suburban South big for boomers

#3: Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.
#4: Orlando, Fla.
#6: Raleigh, N.C.
#9: Jacksonville, Fla.
#10: Charlotte, N.C.-S.C.

In a piece originally published by Forbes, the study indicates that boomers are less likely than many urban pundits predicted to want to move to cities as they aged to grab culture and urban amenities.  Instead, they tend to stay put, which will have an impact on public policy, such as the future of housing in the U.S.  According to the story in the link above:

What do these trends suggest for the future of our communities and real estate? For one, the big opportunities for selling to aging boomers will remain primarily in the suburbs and some select more rural locations. We also can expect the new senior citizens to move to more affordable places close to their children.

These findings do provide some long-term hope for the housing market, particularly in suburbs. Leading demographers have been busy predicting a massive drop-off in single-family homes as boomers retire and their children leave. Yet our analysis on the Census reveals that most boomers — as well as those older than them — are staying in the suburbs a lot longer than expected. Many will likely to stay in their homes and old neighborhoods well into their 70s or even 80s, leaving either their home either in an ambulance or to an assisted living facility.